14 FORESTRY IN MASSACHUSETTS 



State Forests 



The Commonwealth ought to extend its policy of park 

 reservation to include genuine State forests. The reserva- 

 tions that have been made so far are distinctly for park 

 purposes. There are, however, considerable areas in these 

 reservations that could be used for timber growing. Por- 

 tions of the Middlesex Fells and the Blue Hills reservations 

 might be so utilized without any reduction in their value as 

 parks ; on the contrary, their park features would be en- 

 hanced. The same might be said of the Mount "Wachusett, 

 Mount Tom, and Greylock reservations, the Province Lands 

 on the Cape, and the land surrounding the Clinton Keservoir. 

 The land about this reservoir is already being planted by the 

 Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board. The creation and 

 maintenance of a forest cover on this watershed may be re- 

 garded as a kind of insurance against pollution of the water. 

 The forest in the Mount Wachusett reservation is also being 

 improved by the commission which has that reservation in 

 charge. It is to be hoped that all of the boards and commis- 

 sions having State lands under their charge will follow these 

 good examples, and make the lands that the State owns as 

 productive of forest supplies as is consistent with the purpose 

 for which they were acquired. 



But the lands mentioned are small in area, and the State 

 might well follow the precedent established by several other 

 States, and acquire lands for the specific purpose of growing 

 timber on them. New York has a forest reserve of 1,439,988 

 acres, and Pennsylvania has acquired 700,000 acres for forest 

 purposes. 



In addition to their use for timber production, State forests 

 may be used as recreation grounds by the people. It is a 

 race instinct with us to love the forest and to delight in it. 

 It is not necessary to have rows of Lombardy poplars, banks 

 of flowering shrubbery, tortuous gravel walks, ornate bridges 

 over artificial ponds, and " keep-ofl-the-grass " signs, in order 

 to have a serviceable park. While all these things are good 

 enough in their way, there are some of us who occasionally 

 long for nature in her wild simplicity and ruggedness. We 



